1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to electrical connectors and to an assembly for facilitating the connection of an electrical plug connector to terminals on a printed circuit board. More particularly this invention is related to the alignment of printed circuit board terminals for reliable connection to multicontact electrical connectors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electronic components in automobiles and motor vehicles are commonly housed in separate modules or subassemblies. Typically the electronic components are mounted on printed circuit boards, and separate modules are connected by a wiring harness that includes a number of individual wires. The modules, such as junction boxes or power distribution modules, generally have pins or blades soldered to the printed circuit board and mounted in a header so that the male pins or blades can be connected to a plug connector having mating receptacle or female contacts or terminals. Often a large number of terminals or contacts are mounted in the same header, and the mating forces can be quite high. Mechanical assist means, such as cams and bolts, are often used to overcome these forces. In addition to the normal difficulty of aligning a large number of male and female terminals during mating, the mechanical forces needed to assist mating can also flex or deform the housing or header and deflect the printed circuit board terminals resulting in even greater misalignment. For example, in a prior art power distribution center in which the wiring harness is connected by using a bolt, forces applied to the bolt can deflect the bulkhead, behind which the printed circuit board is located, and this movement of the bulkhead can then deflect terminal pins extending through apertures in the bulkhead.
For prior art wire to wire connectors, pin alignment problems have been addressed by employing a movable alignment plate to lead the male terminals into engagement with mating female terminals. Examples of such connectors are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,606 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,158. The alignment plates in the bolt actuated connectors described in those patents have been used to assist mating between male and female terminals that are latched into mating plug and receptacle housings. The terminals in both mating connectors shown in those patents are free to move laterally to a limited extent, and the alignment plates provide adequate lateral alignment to insure that the leading ends of the male terminals are aligned with housing cavity entrance and the female contact lead in of the mating electrical connector.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,606 does show a prior art connector in which a movable alignment plate is used in a right angle printed circuit board header. However, the right angle male pin terminals do not appear to be latched in the header housing, and only the plate functions to correct any misalignment of the male terminal leading ends during mating.
This invention is an apparatus or terminal position housing assembly that can be used to align a plurality of male terminals, which may extend from a printed circuit board, with female terminals in an electrical connector as the electrical connector is mated to the printed circuit board. The apparatus includes a stationary plate with a plurality of apertures or holes extending through the stationary plate. These apertures are dimensioned to permit insertion of male terminals through the apertures and the apertures will laterally align the terminals or blades. The apparatus also includes an alignment plate that is shiftable toward the stationary plate and moves along the male terminals or blades. The alignment plate includes second apertures dimensioned to permit insertion of male terminals or blades through the alignment plate. The alignment plate is constrained, relative to the stationary plate, so that the male terminals are progressively aligned as the male terminal are first inserted through the first apertures and then through the second apertures. The alignment plate is held in an extended position as part of the terminal position housing assembly as the male terminals are inserted through the two spaced aligning apertures.
In the preferred embodiments shown herein, the stationary plate and the alignment plate are positioned over the printed circuit board terminals after the printed circuit board terminals have been attached to a printed circuit board. The alignment plate is located in cavity in a housing that includes the stationary plate. Both the stationary plate and the alignment plate are spaced from the base of the printed circuit board terminals and from the printed circuit board, so that the stationary plate and the alignment plate move any misaligned terminals more closely into a position where they will mate with female terminals in the mating connector. The terminal position housing and the alignment plate are also suitable for use with a plug connector that uses a mechanical assist member, such as a bolt, to overcome the mating forces when a large number of printed circuit board blades or terminals are mated with a large number of female or receptacle terminals in a mating plug connector. This terminal position housing assembly is suitable for use with bulkhead mounted electronic modules, with junction boxes or with power distribution centers used in automobiles and motor vehicles. The stationary plate and the movable alignment plate can also be used with the terminals positioned in an array and are not limited to use with a printed circuit board and terminals soldered or attached to the printed circuit board.